Primaris $35 Combat Squads Multi-Part Kit REVIEW

Checkout the 5 man multi-part Primaris Combat Squad kits that are loaded down with tons of conversion bits.

The weeks have been blurring together with all the Primaris releases that we have covered since the launch of 8th Edition. This week will have even more Primaris dropping in smaller 5-man Combat Squad for the Intercessors, Reivers, and Hellblasters. They contain all the new sculpts that we have seen with the larger 10-man squad box sets and will retail for $35.

Here is a sample of our quick and dirty review to give you the lowdown on what you can expect to see with these Combat Squads.

For our complete review, be sure to scroll down and press play on the full video below.

These Combat Squad box sets will contain all the multi-part, customizable goodness that the 10-man box sets have. Now, there was a bit of confusion as to why these Combat Squads are $35 instead of $30 since you are getting 5 minis instead of 10 (and the 10 man price is $60).

At the end of the day, this is a ‘vote with your hobby dollars’ situation and having a 5-man option box set will appeal to those who can only afford or need a 5-man squad.

The amount of detail and posing with these kits in terms of stances and arm positioning is great. In order to achieve the varying stances, the leg options will attach to the hip joints which are part of the torso bit. The Hellblaster and Intercessor kits have multiple weapon options, each with their own bits to give them that complete customization you desire. Same with the Reivers kit, there is an assortment of customization options, such as different style heads with closed helms, lower half only helms, and bare heads.

Something to note when handling the fired Grapnel Launcher weapon bit is that the rope and grapnel portion are a bit fidgety. Have a care when assembling/transporting.

There is a lot of cool stuff in these Combat Squad kits if you are only looking to stay within a tight hobby budget and want to pick up a Primaris squad or two. Whether there will be more Primaris units or bits for the Redemptor Dreadnought and Repulsor Grav-Tank on the horizon or not, we can only speculate. One model we are watching for is their Overlord aircraft. We cannot wait to see it’s stats and design.

A strong core of reliable and adaptable warriors that can lay down fire while advancing or holding down terrain is an invaluable aid to any tactician. In the case of strike forces bolstered by Primaris battle-brothers, this role is fulfilled by the Intercessor Squads. Capable of levelling overlapping salvoes of firepower, these squads often form the flexible fighting core of newly-founded Primaris Chapters – though of course many established Chapters have eagerly leveraged their abilities, fielding them alongside Tactical Squads. This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a 5-man Primaris Intercessors Combat Squad, complete with a Sergeant. Wearing Mk X armour in order to take advantage of its protection and mobility, they prove to be reliable and adaptable warriors, each armed with bolt rifles. Their bolt rifles can be 1 of 3 variants – the standard bolt rifle with sickle magazine, auto bolt rifle with overcharger and box magazine, or stalker bolt rifle with longer-range sight and straight magazine.

There are 8 right-hand shoulder pads – enough to cover each of the variant arms, including 1 with an open radio panel, 1 gesturing for their squad to halt, 1 holding a combat knife and 1 firing a bolt pistol. There are a total of 12 different heads available in this kit, covering helmeted and bare options. The Sergeant features a unique head, with a helmet mag-locked to his belt, and 2 unique tilting plates to help him stand out. Reflecting their battlefield versatility, the Intercessors come with lots of extra details to be added to their armour – 6 pistol holsters (1 empty, for the Intercessor actually wielding it), 5 ammunition and grenade pouches, 3 combat knife scabbards (2 empty), 2 single grenade pouches and 2 bolt pistol ammunition pouches.

The Primaris Intercessors come as 133 components, and are supplied with 5 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a transfer sheet.

Imperial observers have likened the fire of a Hellblaster Squad to the incinerating power of a stellar flare. Bolt after bolt of plasma sears across the battlefield; those caught in the Hellblasters’ sights are swiftly annihilated, their armour blasted to ash and their flesh and bone to glowing motes. Even armoured fighting vehicles are swiftly reduced to heaps of metallic slag. Deployed at the correct point and time, a single Hellblaster Squad can blunt the thundering assault of an armoured spearhead, or lay low even the most titanic alien fiend. This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a 5-man Primaris Hellblasters Combat Squad, complete with a Sergeant. Clad in Mk X power armour, they eschew the complex variations of wargear many of their battle-brothers carry, preferring instead to focus on and specialise in a single-armament specialism – plasma.

The whole squad can be armed with a host of plasma weaponry – there are 5 plasma incinerators included, with the components required to turn any of them into an assault plasma incinerator or heavy plasma incinerator, depending on your preference. The assault and heavy variants feature alternate muzzles, ammunition flasks and different cabling attaching the weapon to the Hellblasters’ backpack. There are 2 incinerators which are being carried rather than aimed; you have the option to arm a Hellblaster with a plasma pistol in the other hand. A problem (some call it a bonus…) of plasma weaponry is its tendency to overheat; there are several optional components reflecting this. Bare head options featuring nasty burns are included for the Sergeant, and there are bionic arms included, heavily implying lost limbs in plasma accidents. There are also plenty of pistol holsters, reliquaries, grenade sets and purity seals included.

The Primaris Hellblasters Combat Squad comes as 125 components, and is supplied with 5 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a transfer sheet.

All Space Marines are experts of the rapid strike, but Reivers take these skills to the next level. They are specially trained and equipped to launch brutally effective and unexpected assaults. They do this with a sudden fury and shocking violence, for the Reivers fulfil the role of terror troops that sow fear and confusion amongst their foes. This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a 5-man Primaris Reivers Combat Squad, complete with a Sergeant. Clad in sleek yet brutally functional Mk X power armour, they feature a great deal of practical details – they each carry a great deal of extra ammunition and equipment pouches, as well as grenade harnesses and blade sheaths.

The kit features an impressive selection of weapon options; 5 heavy bolt pistols, 6 bolt carbines and 6 combat knives are included, with the loadout options being carbine, pistol and carbine or pistol and combat knife. 1 of the sets of arms for combat knives features a communications array on the vambrace, designed for the Sergeant. The bolt carbines each feature foregrips and curved mags for that tactical look, with 1 modelled in the middle of reloading. Each model can also take a grapnel launcher – 5 are included in holsters, with a further 2 to be held in the right hand.

Each model can also feature grav-chutes – 10 fins are included, 5 for each side of the Reivers’ backpacks. They have plenty of helmet options too – 5 helmets featuring their unique skull design, 5 with the top removed and the lower half remaining and 2 Sergeant-specific bare heads. Each chest plate is decorated with a skull and crossed dagger motif.

The Primaris Reivers Combat Squad comes as 114 components, and is supplied with 5 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a transfer sheet.

The Primaris Combat Squad Box Sets are available now online and in local Games Workshop stores. Be sure to press play on our quick and dirty unboxing and review video below for the full review.

For more on the Primaris Combat Squad Box Sets and all things Warhammer 40k, visit Games Workshop!

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Spikey Bits is site about the hobby of tabletop wargaming. It is our mission to bring you the latest from the miniature wargaming scene, from narrative missions, hobby how to tutorials, battle reports, unboxings and reviews, retro flashbacks, news, rumors and more. We mainly cover Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Age of Sigmar, Warmachine, Hordes, X-Wing, Infinity, Horus Heresy, and Star Wars Armada. We'll show you all the aspects of the hobby from converting and painting models to actually playing the game.